Louis Litt, Suits

Best Moment: A tie between him baring his bottom during his ''mudding'' outing with Mike and the look of stunned adoration on the feline-lover's face when he first met his arch nemesis's cat.

The senior partner at the newly christened Pearson Darby Specter law firm is a high maintenance hardass with his own catchphrase (''He got Litt up'') and a heart that is actually bigger and more fragile than we thought. —Mandi Bierly

Lafayette, True Blood

Best One-Liner: ''Well you go ahead on, hooker, with your badass. Good for you. It ain't possible to live unless you crossin' somebody's line.''

Whether it's the eyelashes, his hip-shaking throughout the Merlotte's kitchen, or his referring to everyone as ''hooker,'' Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) has a knack for turning any bit of Bon Temps supernatural drama into something laughable. And when the little Louisiana town is hit with more crazy than even the diva himself can handle, he has a response for that, too: ''Hooker, I ain't in the helpin' business no more. I'm in the f--- off while I smoke a blunt business, and business is about to pick way the f--- up.'' —Jacqueline Andriakos

Lady Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess, Downton Abbey

Best One-Liner: ''Don't be defeatist, dear, it's very middle class.''

The Dowager Countess solidified her status as queen of sass early in the series when she replied to cousin Isobel Crawley (Penelope Wilton) mistakenly taking the Countess's thinly veiled criticism of her ''reforming zeal'' as a compliment. At this, Violet turned away, laughed, and stated matter-of-factly, ''I must have said it wrong.'' Burn. —Maricela Gonzalez

Castiel, Supernatural

Best Moment: Cas trying to master the use of air quotes and, in the process, explaining everything that's awesome about him (''My 'people skills' are a little 'rusty''').

Angel Castiel's fish-out-of-water routine has not only been hilarious to watch and often a great source of levity during the Winchesters' the-world-is-ending situations, it's literally heaven sent. —Sandra Gonzalez

Dorota, Gossip Girl

Best One-Liner: ''In Poland we have a saying: Love is like head wound. It make you dizzy. You think you die. But you recover, usually.''

Much more than just the Waldorf's housekeeper, Dorota (Zuzanna Szadkowski) brings the comedy in her animated facial expressions, heavily accented one-liners, and sly perceptiveness of all of the scheming taking place around her. Don't write her off before you learn to appreciate her subtle comedy like defriending Chuck (Ed Westwick) on Facebook after his breakup with Blair (Leighton Meester) and using Britney Spears' ''I'm a Slave 4 U'' as the ringtone for her employer. An excellent schemer sidekick and a loyal and loving companion, Dorota may be a woman of few words, but they are all the right ones. —Jacqueline Andriakos

Holder, The Killing

Best One-Liner: ''Take it easy, Thunderheart, you haven't given me a safe word yet.'' (To a tribal security officer roughing him up)

A bright spot in the Seattle drizzle, the self-proclaimed ''serial chiller'' (Joel Kinnaman) has proven almost unflappably wry amid addiction and a gruesome occupation. He's also taken more than a little pleasure in ribbing his grim-faced partner Linden (Mireille Enos), especially after catching her with a younger lover, who Holder suggested might have reached her via the number 1-900-LINDEN. —Lanford Beard

Fin, Law & Order: SVU

Best One-Liner: ''You have the right to an attorney and if you throw up in my car, I'll kill ya.''

Rather than dishing out yuk-yuks (that's the territory of his partner Munch, played by stand-up comedian Richard Belzer), the charm of Fin (Ice-T) is his cool-as-a-cucumber delivery as he points out the absurdity of a situation or puts a perp in his place. Working in the Special Victims Unit is a stressful job; if you can't laugh a little, you won't make it. —Lanford Beard

Saul, Breaking Bad

Best One-Liner: ''As to your dead guy, occupational hazard. Drug dealer getting shot? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say it's been known to happen. ''

Saul (Bob Odenkirk) works as Walt's (Bryan Cranston) lawyer and problem-solver, who first enters the Breaking Bad fray when one of Walt's dealers gets caught by the DEA. Since his appearance in ''Better Call Saul,'' Goodman's sharp tongue often provides the sweet relief of dark humor we need during our Bad benders. —Denise Warner

Nolan, Revenge

Best One-Liner: ''Wow, start your revenge-ines.''

It may take place is the idyllic Hamptons, but Revenge doesn't often have time for fun. That's why Nolan has become a fan favorite for his tension-breaking remarks about the deadly situations he and Emily (Emily VanCamp) regularly encounter. —Erin Strecker

Felicity, Arrow

Best Moment: When Oliver talked her through an undercover op —Felicity: It feels really good having you inside me...and by you, I mean your voice. And by me, I mean my ear. I'm gonna stop talking right now.Oliver: That would be my preference.

The IT girl-turned-crimefighter tries and fails to keep her eyes on her computer screen when Oliver's training shirtless and can't help but say the inappropriate things we're all thinking (which is exactly why we love her). —Mandi Bierly

Stiles, Teen Wolf

Best One-Liner: ''I'm 147 pounds of pale skin and fragile bones. Sarcasm is my only defense.''

In a world brimming with broody supernatural creatures and their super-powered baggage, Stiles infuses much needed levity as one of the only humans in the know. Smart, sarcastic, and loyal, Stiles (Dylan O'Brien) is the snarky heart to the MTV series. —Maricela Gonzalez

Paulie Walnuts, The Sopranos

Best One-Liner: ''What? Was it barkin'?'' (After learning Christopher killed his girlfriend's dog by sitting on it in a heroin haze)

The mafia underboss had a cruel streak, for sure, but he was amusing from the silver wings in his pompadour to his shoelaces. Unlike Silvio (Steven Van Zandt), with his silent judgments, Paulie's laughs came because he said everything on his mind, regardless how tone-deaf or offensive. —Lanford Beard

Bronn, Game of Thrones

Best One-Liner: ''There's no cure for being a c---.''

On a show filled with highborn lords and ladies, your friendly neighborhood sellsword provides a common touch that keeps Thrones grounded. In a weird way, the cheerfully corrupt Bronn (Jerome Flynn) is probably the most honest character on the show. —Darren Franich

Eli, The Good Wife

Best Moment: His legendary verbal smackdown of a teen tweeter/mean girl —Becca: Oh, no. Have I been a bad girl?Eli: No, dear Becca, because that would only make you want to do it again. You know what you've been? Gum on the bottom of my shoe. Spoiled little brat who will get pregnant at 17, have an abortion at 18, and meet some sweaty frat boy over spring break and work as a dental hygienist until the day you die.

The political operative is a ticking time bomb who can explode at any moment (particularly when the mother of Chris Noth's Peter is involved). But he's equally hilarious when he's killing you with false kindness... especially when he's trying to suck up to Alicia (Julianna Margulies) for a favor. —Mandi Bierly

Wash, Firefly

Best One-Liner: ''Is there anything else on your mind that I should know about? There's all sort of twists and cul-de-sacs. It's wild.''

The zany, childlike pilot in Captain Reynolds' (Nathan Fillion) crew, Wash (Alan Tudyk) often serves as the voice of reason during heated arguments. He's husband to Reynolds' second-in-command, Zoe (Gina Torres), as well as one of the most lovable characters in sci-fi. Let's just say, I like to imagine Serenity doesn't exist. —Maricela Gonzalez

Felix, Orphan Black

Best One-Liner: ''I need to change, fetch me something gay.''

Jordan Gavaris delights as Sarah's (Tatiana Maslany) foster brother Felix, tossing off bon mot after bon mot while becoming deeply entrenched in the messed-up world of his sister and her clones. His wit manifests itself nicely in his burgeoning relationships with Allison and Cosima (both played by Maslany, too) as well as his love for Sarah. —Denise Warner

Chloe, 24

Best One-Liner: ''Okay, when we find the nerve gas, and the alert level drops, we can have some chamomile tea, and I'll tell you all my secrets, okay?''

Introduced in the third season of the grim-faced spies 'n' terrorists thriller, Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub) became an essential part of the 24 ensemble. A tightly wound ball of nerdy passive-aggression, she made an oddly perfect sidekick for perpetually on-the-run Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland). —Darren Franich

Sam, Burn Notice

Best One-Liner: ''How long's this gonna take? I got a half a bottle of tequila waiting for me back at the hotel. [Gets funny looks from his colleagues] What? They said not to drink the water.''

A Hawaiian shirt-wearing former Navy SEAL with a penchant for grown-up beverages and sugar mamas, Sam is as deadpan as he is dangerous. And it doesn't hurt that Sam (a.k.a. Chuck Finley) is played by Bruce Campbell, who can bring a chuckle-worthy charm to any part. —Lanford Beard

Dewey, Justified

Best One-Liner: ''Holy s---, you mean I had four kidneys?'' (After successfully urinating, which he was told he wouldn't be able to do if his kidneys had really been harvested)

The former member of Boyd's crew and flock (Damon Herriman) isn't the smartest character on the show — you do not impersonate Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) — but he's a fan favorite thanks to his amusing, ballsy, mostly harmless stupidity (you also do not ask Raylan Givens for more time with prostitutes before you're arrested). —Mandi Bierly

Hurley, Lost

Best One-Liner: ''You've got some Arzt on you.'' (Referring to a bit of flesh that belonged to the obliterated Leslie Arzt, stuck on Jack's back)

Before it became his sacred charge to become the protector of the Island, it was the Numbers-cursed lotto winner's mission to lighten the intense business of surviving polar bears, smoke monsters, and assorted Others with quips, recreation (remember Hurley's golf course?), and jovial Dude-ishness. Who could forget his incisive critique of The Empire Strike Back or when he meta-explained Lost's wacky plot to his mother? Ultimately, Hurley's sense of humor was also essential to his own sanity. When the universe is either trying to kill you or herd you toward your Island destiny by hurling meteors at you, laughter helps. —Jeff Jensen

Kessler, Boardwalk Empire

Best One-Liner: '' You told me to knock in a manly fashion.''

Kessler (Anthony Laciura), the right-hand man to Atlantic City's most powerful citizen, is hilariously clueless — in no small part due to his native German tongue. Every episode, he's bound to make a number of oblivious comments that make humorless employer Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) raise his eyebrows. Kessler may be irritating for gangster-under-siege Nucky, but he's hilarious for us. —Lanford Beard

Data, Star Trek: The Next Generation

Best One-Liner: ''My timing is digital.'' (After being told his comedic timing might be off)

More whimsical than Original Recipe Star Trek's emotionless Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and an animatronic precursor to The Big Bang Theory's socially oblivious Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), the appeal of Enterprise's resident android (Brent Spiner) came via his poignant admiration for humanity even though he was, by design, unable to truly fathom its idiosyncracies. —Lanford Beard

All products featured were editorially selected. EW.com may receive a percentage of sales for items purchased from these links.
Copyright 2018 Entertainment Weekly Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy(Your California Privacy Rights).